MLB

MLB stands for Major League Baseball and is a professional baseball league based in the United States with a team (the Toronto Blue Jays) in Canada. There was previously two Canadian teams, but the Montreal Expos were sold and moved to the US Capital of Washington, D.C. and renamed the Washington Nationals.

MLB players are often called the “Boys of Summer” because their long and grueling season spans from April to September, with the playoffs being in October. Since most MLB stadiums are outdoors, the fact that they play in summer can take its toll, especially in areas where the heat can be especially stifling. Luckily, most games are played at night during the season. Day games are generally played when one team has to travel the same day for a game the next day or on weekends and special events.

The season is 162 games, with games normally played on consecutive days. Roughly three times a month a team will get a day off either for travel or just recovery. If a game should be cancelled because of inclement weather, then it will be rescheduled—usually on one of these off days. If the two teams playing do not have the same day off, then a double-header is scheduled. A double-header is when two teams will square off against each other twice in one day, with a different set of pitchers each time. Managers will generally try to rest a player or two for one of the two games, though this is not always possible.

Spring Training is the patch of time before the season starts in April when teams come together to practice, evaluate new talent and form their rosters. Spring Training is such a big deal for some team’s fans that it is considered a season all unto itself.

Most of the teams meet for Spring Training far away from their usual base camp. This is done for a variety of reasons. First, Spring Training, despite its name, starts in late February or early March. This is actually winter in most areas still and so there may be snow on the ground or it is simply too cold to play. For example, the Boston Red Sox go to Ft. Meyers, FL each year because their usual ballpark in Boston is usually still snowed or at least iced over in Boston. The same goes for the New York Yankees, who have spring training in Tampa, FL each year.

The other reason that most teams play far away from their respective cities is because the teams get to play each other in pre-season games. To make the travel schedule as light as possible, MLB formed a few Spring Training leagues. These leagues have several teams within an easy drive of each other, making light travel of the games. For instance, the Cactus League features twelve MLB teams that all gather for Spring Training in Arizona. Though some of the teams may not play each other much or at all in the season, they get to play each other in the Cactus League to evaluate their talent before the regular season begins.

Diehard fans of many teams plan their vacation schedules around Spring Training and travel with the team to many of the pre season games.

There are a total of 30 teams in Major League Baseball, with 14 being in what we call the American League and 16 being in what we call the National League. In most pro sports, there is not a lot of differentiation between the two leagues. For instance, in the NFL (National Football League) there are two conferences: the National and American, just like in MLB. The NFC and the AFC may play in different conferences, but play by the exact same set of rules. This is simply not the case with the AL and NL in baseball.

In the American League, the pitcher does not take a turn at bat. Instead, they are replaced with what is called the DH or Designated Hitter. This player does not go out onto the field on defense like an outfielder or 1st baseman would. Instead, they stay in the dugout until it is their turn in the batting order and then come out and hit and run bases.

In the National League, the pitcher must take their turn at bat in the 9-man rotation. The starting pitcher (SP) must take a certain amount of at-bats before they can be replaced by what is called a ‘pinch hitter.’ The pinch hitter serves the same role as the DH in the American League.

A few times a year the fans are treated to what is called ‘Interleague Play.” This means that AL and NL teams get to play each other, which is not usually the case. In Interleague play, both teams must play by the home team’s rules. For instance, if the game is played in an NL ballpark, then the AL pitcher must bat, just like an NL pitcher normally would. If the game is in an AL park, then the pitcher does not bat and the team must name a DH instead.

Major League Baseball has been around since 1903 (though separate but similar leagues have been around since the late 1800s). Because it is the oldest professionally organized sport in North American, there is a lot of history involved in the sport. Much of this can be seen in some of the stadiums that are used for MLB games.

A great example of this would be Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. This is home to the Chicago Cubs of the National League. It is also one of the oldest ballparks in MLB, dating back to the early 1900s. It has a famous wall covered in ivy, which was a big deal back when it was built. To maintain a sense of historical perspective, the ivy was kept even to this day. Even though the park is dilapidated and needs constant upkeep and repair, the history there makes it indispensable, and Cubs fans would not want their team to play anywhere else.

Just a little South of Wrigley Field is the other Chicago MLB team, the White Sox. They play in a very modern stadium that has all of the luxuries and upgrades you would expect from a newer stadium. Though it is a fun atmosphere to watch a game in, it is the opposite of the historical Wrigley Field.

Then there are the stadiums that basically combine the two features mentioned above. A good example of this is Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. This is home to the New York Yankees, a very historical team with 26 World Series titles to their credit. Though the stadium is not that old by Wrigley standards, it has a unique historical perspective. There is a garden-like area with bronzed statues of Yankees legends that allow you to have a modern stadium that respects the past as well.

The long, 162-game season usually ends at the end of September or early in the first week of October. The top four teams from the NL and AL will face off against each other, with the winners of each League winning the right to play in the World Series. The winner of the World Series is crowned as the champion for that year of MLB.

Each of the two Leagues is divided into three sub-leagues called divisions. There is an East, Central and West division for each one. The team from each division with the best record wins the division’s championship. This is referred to as a pennant. The team amongst the three leagues with the best overall record who did not win a pennant is also allowed into the playoffs, called the ‘wild card’ team.

The three divisional winners and the wild card face off in what is referred to as the National League Divisional Series (NLDS) and the American League Divisional Series (ALDS). The divisional series on both sides is a best-of-five series with the team with home field advantage playing three of the games at home, while the road team would play only two at home, if the series were to go the entire five games.

The winners of the two ALDS series go on to face each other in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) while the two from the NLDS will face off in the National League Championship series (NLCS). The winners of each of these series will then go onto the World Series to determine who the ultimate MLB champion is for that year.

The World Series takes place each October a few days after the National League and American League champions have each been crowned. It is a best-of-seven series that will determine who the champion for the entire league is, and is the ultimate achievement in the sport of baseball. It is often referred to as the Fall Classic.

Who gets home field advantage is not determined by any type of record like in the league and divisional series. Instead, it is determined by which of the two leagues won the All-Star game.

The All-Star game is held in the middle of the season at a pre-designated. The fans get to vote for who they think is the most deserving to start at each position to represent their league in the All-Star game. The team is managed by the manager from the team with the best record at the All-Star break. This manager also determines who the backup and bench players will be for his team.

The National and American leagues meet in a game with the winner getting home field advantage for their league’s representative in the World Series. The game is played using the rules of the park it is played in. For instance, if the game is being played at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, then each team must have a DH and the pitcher does not hit, because this is an AL park.

The World Series is played in a similar fashion: whichever league has home field for that game determines the set of rules that will be followed. An AL team in an NL park must have their pitcher bat, and vice versa.

Like most organized professional sports, Major League Baseball has a Hall of Fame to honor players who made a lasting impact on the game.

The MLB Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown, New York. Each year, players who have been retired for at least five years and are deserving of the honor are nominated for the Hall of Fame. A lot of debate usually ensues as to which the most deserving are, because only a set amount from the ballot will actually be voted in.

There are a variety of reasons that a player could be inducted into the Hall of Fame (HOF). They could have broken records, won championships or been the best player in their position. Based on these criteria and more, a mix of media members votes on those that have been nominated, and the results are then made public. In a ceremony later on the same year, those voted in will be officially inducted.

When a player is allowed in the HOF, they are given a bronze plaque of their likeness that goes in the building. The plaque lists all their major achievements and why they got in. If a player played for more than one team, the cap they wear on the plaque is usually from the team that they played the majority of their years with.

Like most sports, Major League Baseball has a huge market for sports collectibles. Since baseball has been around for over a century, there is more memorabilia than in most sports, making the MLB collectibles market arguably the largest of its kind.

Baseball cards are one of he largest collectibles for fans of the game. From the first cards that were sold with gum and are very rare to the new, modern cards that have things like 3D effects, there is always someone in search of a particular card. Cards from a player’s rookie season or old cards from famous players of the past seem to be the most desirable. The cards of these types that are in mint condition will fetch the largest prices.

Bats and gloves, especially signed ones, seem to be a big collectible too. If you go into any MLB fan shop you will find replica bats in every single one of them. These are the same kind that the players use and will often have a stamped signature on them. Authentic, game-used bats are way more valuable, and if you can get an autograph on one from a popular player you may be able to make a lot of money selling it.

Other popular MLB collectibles include jerseys, caps, shoes, jewelry for the ladies, jackets and officially licensed gear. Clothes that are officially licensed are either replicas or exact duplicates of the type of apparel that the players themselves wear. Warm-up jackets, batting practice jackets and game day shirts are just a few examples of this growing market.

Of course, autographs are always a huge collectible in any type of market. A player that does not give many autographs will be more valuable than one who will sign anything, though most people don’t collect them for profit but instead for the keepsake aspect of it.

Before a player can make it in Major League Baseball, they usually have to pay their dues and develop their talent in the Minor Leagues.

The Minor League teams for each of the MLB teams are located in other areas of the country and provide cities with smaller populations and no MLB team the chance to watch professional baseball.

The Minor Leagues are divided into three groups: A, AA and AAA ball, with MLB being the AAAA ball. So a person in single-A ball usually is just starting out and has a long way to go before they can get to the Majors (called “The Show” by those in the Minors).

A player must be promoted to each level of baseball before finally reaching the Majors, if they ever do. For each player that plays in MLB, there are several who may never make it. But they still play professionally at the Minor League level. It is possible for a player to skip a level. For instance, say a player is in single-A ball but shows great promise and development: it is entirely possible that they will skip double-A ball and go straight to triple-A. Though this is not the norm, it does happen.

MLB rosters are allowed to expand in September, when the Minor League season is over. This allows a team to ‘call up’ members of their Minor League system (called ‘The Farm”) in order to evaluate their talent on the Major League level and to boost their benches. Based on their performance here, they may be given an invitation to Spring Training to try and make the team for next season.

Anytime in the season, an MLB team can call a Minor Leaguer up to play for them. Because of strict roster limit rules, they must send a player back down to the minors to take their place. It is entirely possible for a good player to bounce back and forth between the Majors and Minors several times in the same season.